Patent pools consolidate standard-essential IP into single B2B licensing packages

The consolidation of IP into pools is essential for the scaling of high-efficiency codecs such as HEVC and VVC, which requires navigating thousands of individual patents. For streaming businesses, these pools mitigate the risk of litigation and significantly lower transaction costs compared to negotiating stacked bilateral deals. However, the rise of competing pools for the same standard can create new layers of licensing complexity. Executives must monitor whether individual patent holders maintain bilateral rights, as some major entities continue to license outside the pool structure. The ongoing success of these pools will determine the speed at which the industry can pivot to next-generation compression formats.

The licensing landscape for video standards has recently undergone significant structural shifts. Per ip fray (June 2026), a major attempt to consolidate the HEVC and VVC standard-essential patent pools failed when over two-thirds of licensors voted against changing the pool administrator from Access Advance to Sisvel. This followed the December 2025 divestment of Via Licensing Alliance’s video codec programs to Access Advance, a transaction that reportedly left several individual licensors in the dark. These developments highlight the ongoing friction between pool administrators over the management of high-value video compression IP.

Simultaneously, the regulatory environment is diverging by region. Per Eversheds Sutherland (May 2026), the European Commission's proposed SEP Regulation—which aimed to establish a central registry at the EUIPO—was formally withdrawn in late 2025 due to a lack of consensus among member states. While the EU is now relying on updated Technology Transfer Guidelines (April 2026) to prohibit 'double-dipping' and improve transparency, the United Kingdom is moving forward with its own consultation that could lead to independent legislative reforms for SEP licensing in late 2026.

Market players are also adjusting royalty structures to incentivize early adoption of multi-codec devices. Per Access Advance (January 2026), the deadline for new licensees to lock in current HEVC royalty rates through 2030 was extended to June 30, 2026. This extension was paired with the introduction of the Video Distribution Patent Pool in 2025, which, according to Streaming Media (July 2025), represents a strategic shift toward charging tiered royalties based on monthly active users and streaming revenue rather than just physical hardware sales.